Multimedia data, including video, audio, and other data, may be transmitted in varying formats. In addition to many legacy formats, newer formats may include HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) formats supported by the High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Version 1.4a (Mar. 4, 2010), including three-dimensional (3D) multimedia video, allowing for presentation of 3D video on a television or other display, and data transmitted using a supported 300 MHz video mode, and formats supported by High-Definition Multimedia Interface Specification Version 1.3 (Jun. 22, 2006), including Deep Color (referring to color represented by 30 or more bits per pixel).
However, a presentation device, such as a television unit, that utilizes such multimedia data formats may be connected to one or more connected downstream devices or systems (which are referred to here generally as connected devices) that receive multimedia data via the presentation device. Such connected devices may include installed or legacy devices, including existing HDMI connected devices, that are incapable of accepting a new multimedia signal format received by the presentation device because such devices were not designed to be compatible to the new signal format.
Because of this multimedia signal format incompatibility, devices that could utilize a portion of a signal, such as a device that would utilize the audio portion of a multimedia signal, commonly will reject the entire multimedia signal. For example, a legacy HDMI compatible device that is utilized for presentation of the audio portion of a multimedia signal will reject a 3D HDMI signal because the legacy HDMI device will not recognize the 3D signal format.